Hyderabad: A new and unique trend has emerged among the electorate in the past week in Telangana, which has already established itself as a innovative State in the country. Since the dissolution of the State Assembly on September 6, several villages, organisations and groups across the State have pledged their votes enmasse for the Telangana Rashtra Samithi, reflecting the confidence of the people in the ruling party.

From villages to Self Help Groups, communities to unions and farmers, there has been an upsurge in peoples’ sentiment to back the TRS en bloc in the coming State Assembly elections. If 73 SHGs in the 27th ward of Siddipet Municipality unanimously resolved to vote for Irrigation Minister T Harish Rao from Siddipet Assembly constituency, coal miners at the 21 incline mine at Yellandu in Bhadradri Kothagudem district came out with unanimous support for the TRS candidate Koram Kanakaiah.

And Muslims in Jammikunta town of Karimnagar declared that their entire vote bloc would go to Finance Minister Etela Rajender as did the Mudiraj community people of Uppal village in the district. Ditto was the case with villagers of Sriramulapalle and Pangidipalle of Kamalapur mandal besides people belonging to Padmashali, Kummari, Kurma, Golla and Vishwabrahmin communities in Kamalapur who pledged their vote for Rajender.

Farmers under Singabhupalem minor irrigation project ayacut in Sujatanagar mandal in Bhadradri Kothagudem district met Kothagudem Assembly TRS nominee Jalagam Venkata Rao on Wednesday and extended their entire support for him. The reason? Their agriculture fields are lush only because of the TRS government’s initiatives ensuring supply of water. Members of Sevalal Sena and Muslim Employees Welfare Association led by Association general secretary Sd. Yakub met the TRS nominee and extended unconditional support to him.

These are not isolated expressions of confidence on the TRS government. Such gestures have been pouring in from almost all the districts in the State with even families pledging their support, as in the case of 400 families in the 26th ward of Siddipet Municipality who said every single vote of theirs would be for Harish Rao. In Wanaparthy Assembly constituency, Auto Drivers’ Union members from Balijapally, Cheemanaguntapally and Pamireddipally villages met S Vasanthi, wife of State Planning Board Vice-Chairman S Niranjan Reddy and joined the TRS with the committment that all their votes would be cast in favour of Niranjan Reddy. The auto drivers with ‘SNR’ stickers on their autos have begun canvassing for Niranjan Reddy in right earnest.

In Banswada Assembly constituency, residents of Rampoor Tanda, Pocharam and Nagaram villages took an oath that they would only vote for Agriculture Minister Pocharam Srinivas Reddy. The reason for such committments is the overall development the State has witnessed in the past four-and-half years covering all sections of society. On Wednesday, the Reddy Sangham and Swarnakarula Sangham (Goldsmiths Association) in Siddipet also decided to vote en bloc for Harish Rao.

Siddipet Municipal councillor Gaddam Vijayarani perhaps summed up best the reason for such mass voluntary support for the TRS, when she pointed out that the face of her ward had changed since the State government took up developmental and welfare programmes. Indeed, the landscape of Telangana has undergone a seachange in the past four-and-half years, and that is enough reason for people to pitch for the TRS.